Our Story

Burke Center for Youth strives to promote healing and inspire hope for children in crisis. Founded in 1973 as a residential treatment program on a Driftwood, Texas ranch, Burke Center is now composed of Driftwood Ranch residential treatment program, a Child Placement Agency, and a Transition Home.
Driftwood Ranch is Burke Center for Youth’s residential treatment facility for 10-17 year old boys. Every resident who comes to us has been removed from his home due to trauma and associated behaviors. We help these adolescents to begin the healing process through therapy (individual, group, equine), education at the on-site school, and the day-to-day chores involved with maintaining our 55 acres. Through these activities and the daily interactions with people who truly want good things for these children, we feel that every story is a success story.
Also, in 2016, the Burke Center Transition Home was built to help young adult foster children not only look forward, but move forward, as well. The Burke Center Transition Home is a residential program for young men who have aged out of foster care and are not yet able to live independently. The program will run between 1-2 years and offers continued therapy, job skills and placement, college enrollment, and continued life skills education. The extra support is readily available during this difficult transition to our biological children, and we will now offer the same to our Burke children.
Whether through treatment, placement, or a little extra stability, the ultimate goal at Burke Center for Youth is to help children rebuild their lives in a manner that will break the cycle of abuse and give them the tools necessary to succeed in life.